Warne maintains the magic

Page Tools

The champion leg spinner was again a dominant force in
England's second innings, Peter Roebuck reports

Shane Warne has produced one of the most compelling performances
of a long and illustrious career. He cannot have bowled much better
than he did in England's second innings.

No one could. During the course of his long stint from the
Nursery End he produced every word in the leg-spinning vocabulary
and added several of his own devising. It was a mesmerising,
entertaining and destructive contribution from a great
competitor.

Warne's spell typified the effort of a team that pursued victory
with the single-minded intensity that had been missing on the
opening days. Australia was not much less impressive than its
spinner. The new-ball pair had been superb and it took high-class
batting from the openers to keep them out. Jason Gillespie was not
as bad as the figures may suggest.

Warne, though, was the dominant force. His ability to bowl to
aggressive opponents on a third-day pitch with four men around the
bat is unprecedented among slower bowlers of any sort let alone the
wristy variety. He is a brave bowler committed to attack who
permits himself no quarter.

His field allows him no cover against the loose delivery or
protection from the marauding opponent. He backs himself to cause
such confusion and to land the ball with such precision that
opponents feel they have lead in their boots and a weight upon
their minds.

Among his opponents only Kevin Pietersen countered him with
confidence. Indeed he batted with sufficient conviction to force
his pal to bowl into the rough from around the wicket

As usual Warne's first delivery landed on exactly the intended
spot. Without his extraordinary control, he would be just another
leg spinner. Arthur Mailey admitted he may have bowled a few maiden
overs, but none intentionally. Warne prefers to keep batsmen pinned
down in a corner so that he can work them over.

His flippers, zooters, bosies, and sliders are effective because
he has close fieldsmen to catch the edges and umpires expecting a
wicket at any moment. He cooks his victims slowly.

Warne's wickets broke the back of the England innings. Marcus
Trescothick was first to leave the scene. Already the leg spinner
had been wheeling away for an hour. Already he had suffered the
death of a thousand rejected appeals.

Not for the first time, Aleem Dar was as unyielding as an SCG
gateman. Another umpire might have dispatched three English batsmen
but the unflustered Pakistani did not consider the evidence
sufficiently convincing.

Persevering, Warne pushed a leg break across the left-hander and
rejoiced as the edge was neatly taken at slip. It is not so long
ago that Matthew Hayden seemed to be too slow to occupy such an
important position. Now he is catching wisps of wind.

After drinks the Victorian struck again as Ian Bell went back
and ignored a ball that skidded through straight enough to satisfy
even Mr Dar. Previously, Bell had been stepping down the pitch but
drinks breaks have a way of disturbing a man's train of thought. He
had also watched several sharply spun leg breaks pass his outside
edge.

It was a beautifully conceived piece of bowling as an
inexperienced batsman was taken apart.

Warne's last wicket was predictable. He is a master at softening
up and demolishing an opponent. Against most types of bowling
Andrew Flintoff resembles Hagar the Horrible in an especially
forthright mood. Facing the leg spinner he is a shrunken figure.
Here the Lancastrian tried to cut a soft leg break and succeeded
only in edging to an alert keeper.

On another day Warne might have inflicted even more damage. His
first ball to Geraint Jones was one of his finest, a leg break sent
down from a high arm that rose into the air, faded to leg, turned
sharply and bounced too steeply to touch the off bail.

Hereabouts a spring was detected in his approach. He is not
supposed to be able to bowl like that these days. Naturally he is
keen to add his name to the list of visiting bowlers to have taken
five wickets in a Test match at Lord's.

As it was, he put a dry pitch to superb use, thereby taking his
team into a powerful position. He has a remarkable ability to send
weariness and complications to the back of his mind as soon as he
steps on the field. He is a wonderful cricketer and when his time
comes he will be missed.